Elfen Lied Manga Transcript - Chapter One
This article is a layered and hopefully, one day annotated transcript of the very first chapter of the Elfen Lied Manga series, called Elf. A link will take readers to a more straightforward synopsis of the story. It is the intent of the users & admins of this wiki not only to transcribe the visuals and dialogue from the series but to gather information on different English language 'scanlations' since the manga series has yet to receive an English language or North American official release. Alternate scanlations will be noted chiefly where the translation or transliteration draws a very different conclusion from the others, not merely where the wording is slightly different. Where official releases in other languages have dialogue that differs notably, it too will be noted. With that said, it is not the goal to transcribe the versions in other languages, since often that would be the same dialogue repeatedly, as well as making the article unwieldy. One goal is to eventually note how much the scanlation dialogue differs from the original Japanese. These transcripts are a work in progress. The admin staff asks that users start no other manga transcripts until the completion of this very first chapter so that it can serve as a template to build upon as we go forward. Chapter 1 - Elf (Color shot of sunlit blue sky overlooking an island compound and a descending helicopter; one stern-looking man disembarks and is met by a bespectacled man who bows to him lightly; A shot of the open sky follows) ( A color insert shot of Kouta and Yuka appears; this seems to be an addition to the first manga volume ) (The reader sees an iron door without windows framed all around by thick walls. It has the appearance of both weight and electronic security mechanisms. Inside the room are two security guards, and a desk with one chair just outside a metal ring; there are papers on the table, possibly listing new protocols and documenting any anomalies) (While difficult to determine who speaks first, it seems that the elder and superior of the two officers makes the first comment; this transcript proceeds from that presumption) Superior Officer: I feel something's gonna happen today. Junior Officer: Yeah. Judging from the polite wordings the speaker uses, it seems to me the junior officer started the conversation. Like; Junior Officer " She looks like in a bad mood again today, sir." Superior Officer: "Yeah." (Now a close-up of the superior's face, looking concerned) Superior: It felt like this when Murakami died as well. Also, security is weak because of the transportation tomorrow. (Note: Murakami is a never-seen character, only referenced here) (A motor is humming, and an odd noise builds as they watch; the superior turns to the junior; we see only the junior's face) Superior: Don't slack off on the job. (The Junior's face shows he takes this seriously; a sweat drop runs down his face) Junior: I know that, sir. (Note: It is unclear whether 'I Know That Sir' is in response to the admonition not to slack off, or to the statement of why security is weak) That conversation between the two is in the same frame so it looks to me that the junior responded to the superior's instruction, "Don't slack off." (The unknown noise continues while the Junior Officer sits down at the desk, reviewing and filling out papers while sitting down) Junior Officer: Ok. What day was it today? (Noise keeps on) Damn. It's too noisy. (Junior stands up in front of the desk, arms at his side, looking at the unknown inside the metal ring) Junior: Geez, I was so happy when I heard that I was watching over a girl. Story's different when the girl's not Human. (Superior is now looking at Junior from behind and to the side; Junior quickly turns to meet his gaze) Superior Officer: Hey! Don't go near that thing! What are you gonna do, makin' it more angry? (Junior has turned in a hurry, responds nervously) Junior: Y-Yes! (Junior turns back towards the desk) Junior: Now...huh? Where'd I put that pen? (Junior turns again, a look of horrid realization dawning on his face; sweat runs down his face, and a light appears just past the middle of his face; it seems like part of the realization effect, rather than a real light) (The pen appears, resting on the floor just inside the metal ring; perhaps lost when Junior pivoted to answer the superior; in any event, the next panel shows Junior's wide, horrified eyes in full; Superior looks terrified as he tries to warn Junior, whose name is apparently Sasaki) Superior: Sasaki! Run away! (The reader sees a pair of legs, and noise effects appear as the ground rattles; its effects are unclear; the legs are presumably those of Junior/Sasaki, meeting an as-yet-unknown fate) (A new scene begins, inside a control room with large windows, possibly for observation; apparent are five people, four men, and one woman; one of these men is talking in explanation and warning; We will soon learn that his name is Kurama) Kurama: Please do not go near her in a radius of two meters. If you get near her in a radius of 1.47 meters, you'll get killed instantly. (The next panel shifts to a close-up of Kurama's face; we see he is the bespectacled man from earlier who bowed to the other man) Kurama: If someone comes around her, then people will die. In the Japanese Tankobon book, the conversation order is different. Read from the right frame to the left - a rule of thumb. Kurama: And if you're wearing a necktie pin or a ring or any droppable valuables things, please leave it to the security inside. And in the next frame, Kurama continues,'' "If something like that pin or ring and droppable things rolls into her nearby area, somebody is killed for sure.'' Kurama:' Yesterday, someone dropped a pen inside, so he was killed. Please watch yourselves. (Kurama is shown in broad view to be facing the other man we saw earlier) Kurama: And if you're wearing a necktie pin or a ring or any droppable valuables, please leave it to the security inside. (Now we see the face of the other man, seeming perhaps unbelieving of the instructions given) Kurama: Yesterday, someone dropped a pen inside, so he was killed. Please watch yourselves. (The other man, who we will soon learn is an unspecified Vice Minister for the Japanese government, is looking up at something in disbelief, and perhaps not a little fear, just in front of himself and Kurama. A sweatdrop runs down one of his cheeks as his gaze turns upwards) Vice Minister: This is? Th---? (Noise, perhaps the same one from the scene with the two guards, appears as a written/drawn effect beneath their feet; We now see the same doors to the area the two guards were inside. We see the doors and locks in their actual enormous scale; two visible guards accompany Kurama and the Vice Minister) The noise effect for the junior officer is ガタガタ that means shivering with fear. That for this scene is カツン that is a sound when the shoes hit the floor. Maybe it shows that he stopped suddenly with a surprise. Vice Minister: Isn't it too big? Building this twenty meters underground just to keep some girl? Kurama: No. When translated in the order of baloons, ''' ''Vice Minister: Building this facility twenty meters underground in order to lay only one girl under restraint... Isn't this too much excessive? Kurama: "By no means．” (The Vice Minister stands before the door, almost in profile; we can only see half of him; His look is a combined of one of stunned fear and skeptical disbelief) Vice Minister: This is so wrong. This is a waste of tax money. (A view of one of the doors' lower hinges is the entire panel) Kurama: If you get to know her, you'll feel that even this isn't safe enough. That's why there's a need to move her into other facilities. (Kurama looks back at the Vice Minister without turning around) Kurama: Vice-Minister, we're short on that "tax," so we've called you here. (Another view of one of the corners of the enormous doors appears) Vice Minister: So? What's in this thing? (Close-up of Kurama's face, leaning forward) Kurama: As I've told you a moment ago, she's a mutant, because of the genetic defect. (Note: Kurama must have mentioned this prior to the reader viewing the scene; also, the scanlation mistakenly says 'generic defection.' It is possible that the original Japanese referred to 'genus' as in a race or species over-group, but 'defection' is entirely the wrong term, describing an abandonment of loyalties or a betrayal, rather than a flaw as seems to be the intent here.)　　 'genetic anomaly' seems better. Original Japanese says ''遺伝子(genetic) 異常 (anomaly/abnormality)' ' (The panel shifts to an indistinct image; possibly altered by the scanning process) '''It is indistinct. A mutant is drawn in an indistinct manner.' Kurama: Mutants die when they're born, usually. But she has an ability to get used to things and to live. They're called a monster, you can say, in genetics. A more faithful translation would be, perhaps, Kurama: "Mutants die soon after they're born, generally speaking. But she has an ability to get used to surrounding environments and also to reproduce --- "a monster with promising future" like genetics calls it." (Kurama faces the Vice Minister who is faceless in this panel) Kurama: But our problem is that she wasn't created; she was born naturally. (Note: Kurama never mentioned anything to distinguish between mutants that are born by chance and those artificially engineered, so this reference seems a bit out of place; possible translation error losing intent or nuance) Looks like some words were omitted when translated. Kurama: But our problem is that she wasn't created artificially by humans; she was born in a manner of spontaneous generation by chance. (Next two panels are front-views of Minister and Kurama) Vice Minister: What do you mean by that? (Another view of the upper structure of the doors) Kurama: That means she's a new species, chosen by God... (As noted elsewhere, Kurama's meaning in saying God may be less straightforward than it seems; whether he means a Supreme Being, a will within nature, or just the chance of fate is unclear; however, it does introduce the idea of Humankind's replacement) (Panel scene shifts to a shadowed view of a thin. gaunt hand and arm; Kurama continues his thought) Kurama: ...that she doesn't have two arms. (Note: It seems like perhaps the intent was to say 'she doesn't have merely two arms.') (New panel view of Vice-Minister's face and upper body) Kurama: We locked her up because just like us Homo Sapiens, who took over and killed all the group before then prospered, there's no set rule that group of people like her won't take over and kill all of us. (Remote view of Kurama facing forward) Vice Minister: That mutant? How is she different from us? Kurama: She has a few minor differences. But probably her biggest difference is... (Panel shows Kurama still facing forward with angled view of Minister now sweating from nerves) Vice Minister: What? Kurama: Then I will you show you her now. (Panel is a full sketch of Minister's face, sweatdrop visible as he gazes stunned at the opening doors; next panels are the doors moving open; a light seems to come from inside as the noise from gears grinding and the ominous sounds from within intermingle) Vice Minister: Th...This is? Kurama: Yes. She's the new breed, named Diclonius. (The focus shifts to an outdoor scene; This is the Kamakura Train station, whose signs we see as an unknown narrator, who we will learn is named Kouta, seems to both think to himself and speak out loud.) Kouta: (Spoken) Four O'Clock. Phew, then I barely made it. (The new panel shows him almost in full, standing up and smiling, wearing a backpack, with a casual open shirt and undershirt) Mmm, the smell of the sea. I wonder if the sea's near here? (A view of two trees shaded/silhouetted against the sky) Kouta: (Thought/narrated) This summer, I failed all of the college entrance tests. (Panel shows a picture presumably of correspondence rejecting his application to a college or his acceptance to the one he now seeks to attend) Kouta: (Thought/narrated) When I made up my mind about college, to try again, I received a letter announcing additional students who passed, so I barely got into a college. (Note: This sentence may have to be checked over, for intent and structure. It's a bit twisty in how it says what it wants to.) (Panel shows a tree overlooking a structure at the train station framed by the sky above) Kouta: (Thought/narrated) So to be a college student, I came here, and decided to stay at my cousin's house in Kanagawa Prefecture. (Panel now shows Kouta himself, from behind and slightly turned back again towards the reader) Kouta: (Thought/narrated) It's been about eight years since I've seen her (Note: His cousin) last, so I forgot her face. Anyway, she should be here any minute. (Panel shows a sneaker/shoe and the foot inside it; the lace area and the sides of the sneaker seem to be black or gray, while the main body of the sneaker is white--description limited by monochrome panels) (The speaker, we will learn, is Kouta's cousin Yuka) Yuka: Umm, is it you, Kouta-Kun? (Yuka's face is seen in full in the next panel. Owing to the early art style of the mangaka, her features are somewhat different than we will see later on. Her eyes are as Moe as anime Mayu's; her hair is a bit flyaway and not the stable hairdo we will come to know; her blouse is frilled at the top; Perhaps excited from what we will learn is a long-awaited reunion, her smile is visibly pleasant) Yuka: Thank God! You haven't changed at all. (Panel shows trees against sunny sky above; next panel shows Kouta and Yuka atop a long stone stairwell) Yuka: '''Kouta-Kun, you said you were going to the same school as me, right? '''Kouta: Ah--yeah. (Panel is a close-up of Yuka's face, her eyes closed; she cannot conceal her delight) Yuka: Thank God there's someone attending the school with me! You can't feel safe if you don't know anybody at a school! (Panel shows Yuka's face, her eyes open this time; more of her upper torso is visible) Kouta: (Thought/Narrated) Cousin's face. After eight years. Was she really like this? (Panel is Yuka munching on a pastry of some sort) Kouta: (Thought/Narrated) I really can't remember at all. (Panel is their feet next to a tree trunk as they pass it walking) Yuka: Hey, Kouta-Kun? Kouta: Yeah? (Repeat trees against a sunny sky image) Yuka: You-haven't forgotten me, have you? (Kouta's eyes show panic and perhaps pain as the picture focuses on that portion of his face; next panel shows a shadowed younger girl, presumably Yuka, with tears apparent as she exclaims in the major bold caps 'DON'T EVER FORGET ABOUT ME!') (Almost as though after an exertion, Kouta's face is almost blank as he replies to her) Kouta: You're Yuka. (Repeat of prior image showing Yuka's head with eyes mostly closed; still happy but now less ecstatic) Yuka: Yep! Call me Yuka. (Eyes and face showing confidence and relief, Kouta seems to have dodged a problem) Kouta: Right. You can just call me Kouta, then. (The two now stand by a railing overlooking the beach and shoreline seen from behind them) Kouta: Wow! Amazing. It's the ocean! (The scene switches back to the facility from earlier; The Vice Minister stares in amazement and some fear at a sight the reader is not yet privy to; repeat of sweat drop going down his face) Vice Minister: This--is a mutant? (A full three-fourths of the next page is taken up by the sight that so astounds him. Inside an open-air interlocking set of iron rings is a near-to mummified figure locked into an iron table and then bound again by a series of interlocking belts and restraints, topped by a helmet with three slots over the position of each eye area, relative to where the eyes would be. A piece of the helmet fits over the mouth-area as well; the constraints make no allowance for even the slightest movement, down to the neck; despite the bound-up character's condition, it only seems all the more dangerous as a result) (The final portion of the page is a close-up of the figure's helmeted face, showing that even jaw movement is held back on it) Vice Minister: Wha... (Image shows Vice Minister's stunned face in the foreground; Kurama's feet in the background) Vice Minister: What are all those protective gears? Kurama: These are her "cage." (Image shows perspective on how far inside the cage the figure is situated) Kurama: That metal bar is the border showing the two-meter radius. Please don't go in there. (Image shows the cage floor near the front and a resounding boom that emanates from inside it) (Image shows the faces and upper bodies of Kurama and the Vice Minister as the sound increases again) Vice Minister: What's this sound? The floor's... Kurama: She's kicking the floor since it isn't two meters away. (Image of a comprehensive but grainy view of the whole chamber, with the cage, its entombed figure, Kurama, the Vice Minister and two security guards; The desk now seems like it might be farther away than it was in the first set of panels for this chapter) Kurama: Now she'll be moved. Let's go upstairs for now. (Image shows Kurama and the Vice Minister emerging from an elevator, presumably on an upper floor, then shows a close up of half of Kurama's face, his eye visible through his glasses frame. A voice neither his nor the V. Minister's greets him; As the next frame starts, we see a young woman, showing signs of anxious stress, holding a set of papers likely meant for Kurama; She is Kisaragi, and we will soon learn she is Kurama's loyal if seemingly less than able secretary) Kisaragi: Ah--Chief! (In a sadly cartoonish motion, Kisaragi quite literally trips over her own feet as she goes, falling face-first onto the floor in front of her as the papers scatter and her underwear is exposed. Her one leg and ponytail fly up along with her skirt. Mortally embarrassed and blushing, Kisaragi sits up amidst the scattered papers, her appearance still as much of a sprawl as the papers; She manages a smile as she tries to focus back on her job) Kisaragi: Ehhhh-Eh-Uhm-Minister Kakuzawa called a moment ago. (Kurama's face is shown looking over at her, one eye visible, the other obscured by his glasses frames) Kurama: Ok. I'll call him later then. (Kisaragi lightly bows while looking ever more nervous, clutching the papers for dear life) Kisaragi: A--Ah. Then excuse me. (Promptly, she once again trips over her own feet, once-more face planting and causing her skirt to go up as she does; She once again raises herself from the floor, even more embarrassed) Kisaragi: Eh...Ehhhh! (The Vice Minister looks over at Kisaragi in concern and disbelief; Kurama's look is more nonchalant, indicating he has seen all this before) Vice Minister: Who-Who is that girl there? She's just tripping on her own. Kurama: She's my clumsy secretary. She probably tripped on her own leg. (Close up of Kisaragi's shamed, tearful face) Kurama: She was a Tokyo University graduate. But she's not used to this kind of thing, so... (The scene switches to a large freight/transport elevator, where the bound-up caged figure, her constraints and two guards are in transit; the floor emits the ominous sound from earlier as it moves; the scene makes who exactly is speaking completely unclear) Guard 1: She's still banging on the floor. Can the elevator hold out? (Note; In this scene, one guard might be saying one sentence, and one might be saying the other. Again, there is no indication available.) (The cell phone in the pocket of one of the guards begins to ring; he reacts with a look of surprise; The ringing also surprises the other guard) Guard 1: What's that sound? (Guard 2 opens the flip-model cell phone and stares at the screen in wonder) Guard 2: Ah--I'm sorry. It's my cell phone. (Guard 1 gets a worried look on his face in one panel; in the next we see a close-up of his eyes) Guard 1: Hey. Do you have any idea how deep underground we are right now? There's no way that phone can work here. (The bound-up figure inside the cage again demonstrates its unknown power by shaking the floor in the elevator with her strikes; The guards are visibly thrown off by this) (Guard 2 first drops his cell phone in the confusion following the floor strike, then watches as it slides across the floor, coming to rest just inside the cage area, having slid under the opening created by its wheels raising the structure off the floor) Guard 2: Ah! Crap! (Almost by instinct, he reaches for the phone, his arm entering the warned against strike zone) (Again, the panels make it difficult to precisely determine who is speaking what dialogue, but in this case the ambiguity has no over-arching plot or narrative problems) (Guard 1 looks on in obvious terror at his comrade's blunder) Guard 1: You moron! STOP! TBC... Category:Manga Category:Transcripts Category:Article